Electric clock



June 13, 1933. A. H. NEUREUTHER ELECTRIC CLOCK Filed Sept. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fls.

INVENTO June 13, 1933. H. NEUREUTHER ELECTRIC CLOCK Filed Sept. 2. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fae-1.3

IN V EN TOR r Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANDREW H. NEUREUTHEZB, OF PERU, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO WESTERN CLOCK COMPANY, OF PERU, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS ELECTRIC CLOCK Application filed September 2, 1931.

My invention relates to electric clocks that operate from the current of commercial li hting systems and has for its object the pr uction of such clocks having hands driven from a constant speed motor that keeps in step with the pulsations or time element of sald electric current in combination with an auxiliary movement with independent time indi cating hands which co-operates with said electric current in such a way that when the said current is interrupted this auxiliary movement will start to keep and indicate the exact time of the period only durin which the current is interrupted which w en the current flows against after the interruption will stop the movement, and will do so during each interruption (before resetting the main clock hands) so that by means of my electric clock the exact period of-the total interruption will be indicated regardless of the number of such interruptions. So that it is only necessary in order to secure the exact correct time to add the period of the inter-.

ruption on the auxiliary movement dial to the time of the hands on the main dial. A further object of my invention is to produce a selective device co-operating with the hands of said auxiliary dial and said main dial whereby When the auxiliary dial hands are set back to their twelve or zero starting point the main hands will be moved forwardly the same amount thus indicating the exact time by the hands on the main dial. A further object of my invention is to utilize these auxiliary hands as an indicating means to show that there has been a current interruption of suflicient magnitude to make the'time on the main dial unnecessarily inaccurate and subject to correction. I

I accomplish these results by the means shown in the accompanying drawings in which.

, Fig. 1 is a front view of my electric clock.

Fig. 2 is a side view of same.

Serial No. 560,791.

Fig. 3 is a partiaTtop view of the selective hand setting means.

Similar numerals represent the same parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings 1 represents a usual electric clock that has a synchronous motor 2, which is either of the self-starting or the non-starting type which is geared to the-clock minute hand 3, and the hour hand 4 and the second hand 5, which motor is actuated by the usual alternating current from a commercial lighting system which it is not thought necessary to show or to further describe.

The electric clock has the usual large dial 6 with the large numerals associated with'eo the hands 3y and 5. Said dial 6 also has a smaller set of dial numbers as shown, which are associated with the smaller hands 7 and 8 which are actuated bya usual auxiliary movement 9 which has the usual balance wheel 10 and which is preferably a spring wound watch movement having the usual stem winding and setting mechanism controlled by means of the pendant 11 which operates in the usual manner to independ- 7o ently wind the watch spring and set the hands thereof. It isevident that the clock hands 3, 4 and .5 and the watch hands 7 and 8are operated independently of each other for time keeping purposes, that is, each set of hands is controlled only by its own operative movement.

Each set of hands is also manually controlled independently of each other, the watch hands by means of the-knob. 11, as above mentioned, and theclock hands by means of the usual knurled minute hand shaft knob, shown at the left in Figure 2.

Pivotally mounted at 12 adjacent to the magnetic field of the motor 2, that drives the hands 3, 4 and 5, is a lever 13, having an armature 14 within the magnetic influence of said field and a projection 15 adjacent to the balance wheel 10 which stops or starts said balance wheel depending on the position of said lever 13. When said lever 13 is in such position that the armature 14 is attracted close to the magnetic field when the electric current is flowing in the circuit, the projection 15 is in its lower position, as shown, in which it prevents the balance wheel 10 from oscillating. When the electric current stops flowing and the lever 13 is lifted by means of the spring 16 indicated, the projection 15 is in the upper position, shown, awa from the balance wheel 10. It is evident t at the lever 13 is so positioned and pivoted by virtue of its movement it will cause projection 15 to have a wiping action on the balance Wheel 10, such that it will always positively start the auxiliary watch movement actuating when the flow of the current stops and will positively stop the balance wheel and thus the auxiliary movement when the current flows in the circuit.

With the above co-operating arrangement of the lever 13 between the synchronous or timekeeping motor of the electric clock, it is evident, that the hands 3, 4 and 5 will always keep correct time as long as the current flows, and will at the same time keep the watch hands 7 and 8 from being actuated. If the current is interrupted the electric motor stops and will cease keeping the time on the hands 3 and 4, but will instantly start the auxiliary watch movement actuating so that the time will now be kept on the hands 7 and 8 until the current again flows, whenthe time will again be kept on the hands 3 and 4 while the hands 7 and 8 will be stationary, so that after a current interruption or any number of current interruptions the'correct time will always be that amount of time of interruptions) shown on the hands 7 an 8 from the 12 oclock or zero startin point of the auxiliary watch movement ad ed to the actual time shown on the hands 3 and 4.

In order to save the mental elfort required to do this and the liability of error in such mental addition I have provided a manually actuated selective means comprising a shaft 17 journaled and slidablymounted in bearings 21, as shown, between the electric clock movement and the auxiliary watch movement which has a knurled knob 18 external to the clock casing and a gear 19 fastened on its opposite end, said shaft 17 being held in its endwise right hand (inoperative) position b means of a spring 23 mounted on said sha 17 between the bearin 21 on the electric clock movement frame an the collar 20 fastened on the shaft 17. A collar 22 on the shaft 17 limits the outward (to the right) distance that said shaft 17 may travel. Fastened to the opposite end of the shaft 17 is the gear wheel 19 which, it is evident, can be moved forward to its dotted position shown in Figure 3, in which position it engages with the gear wheel 25 which is geared so as to rotate the center or minute hand shaft 26 of the electric clock movement which carries the minute hand 3, and with the gear wheel 24 which similarly is geared with center or minute hand shaft 27 of the auxiliary watch movement. By rotating the knurled knob 18 in its inwardly selective position where gear 19 engages the gears 24 and 25 in the proper direction the minute hand 7 of the auxiliary Watch movement will be moved counter clockwise While the minute hand 3 of the electric clock will be moved an equal angular amount in the forwardly or in the clockwise direction, thus adding the time elapsed from a given starting point on the auxiliary watch dial to that of the electric clock dial. It is evident that in case of current interruptions the turning of the auxiliarywatch hands back to the starting position will put the electric clockat the correct time so that not only will the auxiliary movement show that there has been a current interruption of some moment but it will show the exact length of time that the current has been interrupted and this regardless of the number of interruptions. While the auxiliary dial has only shown the usual 12 hours thereon, it is evident, by the proper gearing it can have 24 hours on the dial or any other convenient system.

It is further evident that Icould use a separate electro-magnet in series, with the electric motor current, or connected directly across the line to start and stop the auxiliary movement instead of utilizing the magnetism from the motor field.

It will be understood, of course, that while I have here shown one form of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown, but wish to have it taken in a sense illustrative of any or all the forms of my invention that come fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an electric clock, a time indicating elementdriven by a constant speed motor oper ted from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a time indicating element for showing the total time of-the current interruptions in said system regardless of the number of such interruptions and means for connecting said time indicating elements with each other for manually setting the said motor operated time indicating element ahead by the amount of interrupted time indicated by said auxiliary time indicating element when same is thereby returned to its starting point.

2. In an electric clock, a timeindicating element driven by a synchronous motor operated from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a time indicating element for showing the total time of the current interruptions in said system regardless of the number of such interruptions and means for connecting said time indicating elements with each other for manually setting the said motor operated time indicating element ahead by the amount of interrupted time indicated by said auxiliary time indicating element when same is thereby returned to its starting point. i

3. In an electric clock, a time indicating element driven by a self-starting synchronous motor operated from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a time indicating element for showing the total time of the current interruptions in said system regardless of 'the number of such interruptions and means for connecting said time indicating elements with each other for manually setting the said motor operated time indicating element ahead by the amount of interrupted time indicated by said auxiliary time indicating elementwhen same is thereby returned to its starting point 4. In an electric clock, a time indicating element driven by a constant speed motor operated from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a-time indicating element for showing the total time of the current interruption regardless of the number of such interruptions and means for connecting said time indicating elements with each other for manually setting the said motor operated time indicating element ahead by the amount of interrupted time indicated by said auxiliary time indicating element when same is thereby returned to its starting point, said means comprising a slidably and rotatably mounted shaft having a setting gear thereon and gears connected to each set of time indicating elements each having an engaging gear oppositely disposed to said setting gear.

5. In an electric clock, a time indicating element driven by a synchronous motor operated from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a time indicating element for showing the total time of the current interruption regardless of the number of such interruptions and means for connecting said time indicating elements with'each other for manually setting the said motor operated time indicating element ahead by the amount of interrupted time indicated by said auxiliary time indicating element when same is thereby returned to its starting point, said means comprising a slidably and rotatably mounted shaft having a setting gear thereon and gears connected to each set of time indicating elements each having an engaging gear oppositely disposed to said setting gear.

6. In an electric clock, a time indicating element driven by a self-starting synchronous motor operated from a commercial lighting system in combination with auxiliary means having a time indicating element for showing the total time of the current interruption ments each having an engaging gear oppositely disposed to said setting gear.

ANDREW H. NEUREUTHER. 

